Mechanized Logging Operations and Forest Trucking Program Graduation Nov. 6
HINCKLEY, ME – Graduates of the Northeast’s only college training program for operators of mechanized logging and forest trucking equipment were recognized today at the site where they spent months harvesting and moving timber using sophisticated machines like those they will encounter in the logging industry.
Family members, friends, and many supporters of the 20-week Mechanized Logging Operations and Forest Trucking Program (MLOFT) joined students at the afternoon event at the Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC) Alfond Campus in central Maine.
The graduates included: Brian Snider, Jackman, ME; Owen Northrup, Anson, ME; Wesley Pipes, Patten, ME; Cedric Chase, Monmouth, ME; Kyle Casey, Yarmouth, ME; Stormy Gillan, Hancock, ME; Shane Scribner, Lisbon, ME; Brenda Medcoff, Jay, ME; Noah Crummett, Windsor, ME; Tyler Turner, Jay, ME; Mark Kirch, Cortland, ME; Zachary Pelletier, New Gloucester, ME; Tavish Campbell, Starks, ME; Colby Farnsworth, Orono, ME; and Riley Snowden, Abbot, ME.
Chuck Ames, President of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast (PLC), attended the event along with many PLC Members and thanked the many supporters and partners that have made the program possible, including Milton CAT, United Construction and Forestry, DAVCO, Pro Pac, the Bill and Joan Alfond family, Skowhegan Savings Bank, Northern Maine Community College (NMCC), KVCC, and Maine’s congressional delegation.
Ames congratulated the students on completing the challenging program and on their decision to join the logging and forest trucking industry, where demand is high for workers as older workers reach retirement age.
“This is a difficult program, and you students should be proud of this achievement,” Ames said. “Our industry needs new blood and new ideas, and we are glad that you have chosen to be part of its future.”
The unique program was created in 2017 by three Maine community colleges, the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (now the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast), and industry partners. Dozens of graduates of the program currently work in the industry, and demand for additional logging and forest trucking operators in Maine is high and projected to remain so for the foreseeable future.
The students spent this summer and early fall harvesting timber at an active job site in the woods on the KVCC Alfond Campus Farm, gaining hands-on timber harvesting experience and benefiting from the guidance of veteran logging instructors for an educational experience that is unmatched by any other timber harvesting and hauling training program in Maine and neighboring states. Students also received hands-on experience operating commercial trucks, loading log trailers, and gaining knowledge critical to forest trucking. This year’s class is the third to have the opportunity to earn a CDL-A permit and receive preparation for the state driving exam.
The MLOFT program has been administered by NMCC since its inception, and in 2026 that role will pass to KVCC.
It includes a strong emphasis on safety as well as giving students an understanding of the variables of timber growth, tree species, and markets. Students pay no tuition or fees, and the program provides all personal protective equipment (PPE) and scholarships from Skowhegan Savings Bank to assist with living expenses.
The project is funded entirely by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
This year, as in past years, a majority of students already have jobs waiting for them after graduation. Since the program began there have been more than 100 graduates, and 60 percent are still working in the industry.
More information on the MLOFT program is available at plcloggers.org/plc-resources/equipment-operator-training/
Although consistently ranked as one of the most satisfying careers in the United States, logging is a challenging and demanding profession, and in the Northeast and elsewhere, aging of the workforce and the costs of training new operators are threats to its future, making programs like MLOFT critical to meeting workforce demands.
In the Northeast, logging provides rural jobs and revenue for local and state governments as well as state and national forests. In Maine alone, the industry contributed an estimated $582 million to the state economy in 2021.
Founded in Maine in 1995 by a handful of loggers who were concerned about the future of the forest economy, the PLC has grown steadily to become a regional non-profit which provides independent logging and forest trucking contractors a voice along with a suite of other forest certification programs which are grounded in responsible forest management. Board membership consists of only loggers, making it an organization that is run by loggers on behalf of loggers.
Learn more about the PLC at www.plcloggers.org